Steam-turbine.



R. A. MGKEE. VSTEM TURBINE.

APPLIOATION rILBD MAR. a, 1906.

./6. Pff/Z Patented 00t.;12, 1909.

Amb@ /f ATTORNEY.

length.

'Un sT fi TaTanT carica.

'ROBERT A. MQKEE, or MILWAUKEE, wisconsin, Asseivon To aLLIs-cHALr/rnns cour- PANY, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

A CORPORATION OF NEJV JERSEY.

STEAM-TURBINE To all whom it may concern:

Be it `known that I, ROBERT A. MCKEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Turtion.

This invention relates to blowers or turbines generally, either parallel or radial flow, and more specifically to steam turbines in which the rings of blades arealternately attached to a rotor andr a stator. yWhen a fluid medium is passed through the turbine, end pressure is directed by the stator blades onto the rotor blades, causing the rotor to rotate. In turbines in which the fluid used is a gas or steam, the blades become of greater length as the fluid expands, or as the veloc ity is reduced. The question then arises as to how toproperly support and stiften the rings of blades.

This invention is intended to provide means `foi-"stiil'ening or staying the longer bladesatany point'or points alongA their This means may be embodied into a great variety' of vmodifications, some of which'are illustrated and described in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of the blading looking endwise of the blades. Fig. 11 is a similar view of a preferred form ofthe invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional View bines.`of which the following is a specifica in th'e direction Aof the arrow, on the line- IIII,' Fig. 1, through a ring of blades,.the base being also shown and being` broken away. Fig. 3 is a broken view in elevation of a portion of 'a ring of blades on a reduced scale. Figs. 4 and 5 are elevation and end view respectively of a preferred form of stiii'ener. Figs. 6 and 7, Figs. 8 and 9, Figs. 12 and 13, Figs. 14 and 15, Figs. 16 and 17, arel similar views respectively of various modifications of the stiffening or staying means. Figs .-10 and 11 show a modification somewhat ,similarR to a preferred form, shown in Flgs. .41 and 5. Fig. 18 isa vlcross section of a .blade showing how the saine may be shaped Ifor the attachment of one form ofstii'ener. 19 is a sectional end of a blade and stilfener of a preferred formof the invention.

vReferring to the drawings, blades 1ere mounted by'any convenient means in a base 2, either a rotor or astator, one of such Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led'March'S, 1906. Serial No. 303,975.

- riveting tool in Patented oet. is, ases.

I means being shown in United States Patent 7 84,670. Any means is sufficient for the pur- A pose of this invention. The blades shown in the drawing are the longer ones used and ordinarily are at the low pressure end of the turbine, and in certain sizes of turbines may be as'much as rthirty or forty inches long. In order to make the structure more rigid and also to more certainly space the blades and prevent vibration, stiffeners are provided for the blades at their middle por- Ition. A'sclearly shown in Fig. 3, these stiffeners connect the blades together in conseeutive pairs by riveting together two consecutive blades. This riveting is shown in Fig. 3 as the outer series of riveted stifi'eners The pairs are then united by another series of stiifeners 1. This arrangement being a staggered one, causes additional rigidity of the ring of blades. By stag ered arrangement is meant the placing' o the rivets on each side of a median line alternately. The median line is a` circle passing between the inner and outer series of rivets as referred to the base. This arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. 3. A staggered arrangement need not necessarily be used. Instead of being connected in pairs, the blades may be connected together into groups of more than two blades to a group by setting the stiffener at the proper angle to the blades. Such a group or plurality of blades may be connected together by the means shown in Figs. 10 or 16 by using a longer rivet 8 and more than one spacing block 9, 91, instead of one block as hereinafter described in connecting a pair of blades. Adjacent groups of blades thus stifened may be connected together by another stilfener coacting with one or more of the blades of a group. The stifi'eners can be placed at different distances from thebase.

From a study of Fig. 1 it will be seen that the stideners 3, 11,' are solocated that they lie parallel to one another and that they are placed at such an angle to the blades in spanning across fromV one blade to the adjacent blade, that they are endwise accessible from either the ressure or the exhaust side of the series of b ades. j The function of this positioning is to'perrnit of easy access of the placing the stiteners, also .to bring the stiffeners as nearly as possible Anormal to the blades. This location of the stifeners also allows of access to the body ofthe stiifener by ing, as in they '14 and15...

a tool which may grip'tli'e stiiener when the same is attached b screwmodica'tion shownin .Figs.

Particular attention is directed to the'iso-f lation' 'of the dpoint of connection between the stitfeners an the blade*- That.is,taking any one blade asshown, it is found that there are holes are alsol 'atfdiei'ent Fig. 1. Such adistribution formed therein two holes for the attachment of the stiifeners, and these holes are at dizf-A ferent distances -finrthe base. These two portions of the early shown at of the points of attachment. between the stiffene'rs and the blades is'conducive to rigidity of the stayed structure.

thicknessjof the blades as Ac e In an ordinary .practice ofthe invention 'is ovalin section and the approxlmately of square' section. The ends the form' of the sti eners, see Figs. .4 and 5,

tenoned ends areV of the bod of the stiener are formed to fit' the respec ive blade surfaces. The pur ose of 4thefoval shape' is to prevent'as muc ,as possible the retardation of the steam in passing between the blades and the forming of eddies, the stiii'eners being placed with the Imajor axis of the'oval section in the direction of the flow of Huid.l The tenoned ends of thestiieners being substantiallysquare in section, will prevent the stiiener from turning after it 1s in position. The blades are of course in this case formed with 'subshape o the tenons.

. those 41, 31, on the exhaust side of the series of blades, project into the Huid space. In the means shown in Fi .1", the blades are first further formed wit recesses 1421,1311, adjacent the tenon ends. These then are -riveted into heads 142, 131, which occupy the recesses and project very slightly into the fluid space. 'lhe recesses 2421, 2311, see Fig. 19, may be so formed as to be filled b the heads 242, 231, which may be made ius with the curved surface of the blades.

A modification, of stiifener is shown in Figs 1Q and 11, which differs from that shown in Fi 1a in comprisin two parts, a spacin bloc 9.and a rivet 8 on 'tudinally centrally therethrough. In app ying ,this form of. stiii'ener, the blades are recessed,`as shown in Fig. 1*. A bolt or screw may be used instead of a rivet if desired.

In all the other modifications of stiifener shown on `the drawing, the body ofthe stifener is cut square across at its end 6.. This shape will necessitate adapting the blades to lt e hole. these modifications, it. wi 'end 6jl of the stiifner' body will fit snugly 5 1, surrounding the holes in the blade, the

lane bein at right angles to the axis of n assembling the stiieners in l be found that the against the'plane portion 5 at the bottom of the recess 51 formed in the blade.

j `In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the body is square in section with round tenoned ends.

' In the modification of Figs. 8 and 9, the stiifener body is diamond sha ed withround tenoned ends. The acute ge of stiifener is turned toward the flow of steam'to pre' vent eddies.

In the modification shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the stiii'ener has both its-body and tenonedends circular in cross. section.

The modification of Fi 14 and 15 differs from the last prec in the tenons with right and le t screw threads. In attaching this stilfen'er, the'blades are pried "apart, the stii'ener is inserted between them and is then screwed in place in screw threaded bores in the blades. After the stiffener is screwed tightly in place, the projecting ends may be rlveted over, thus firmly uniting the arts.

.The modi cationl shown in Figs. 16 and 17 is similar to that of Figs. 10 and 11, in being in-two parts. The spacin piece 91 is a short plain tube and is annu ar in cross section and cut square olf at its ends. The blade is recessed, as shown in Fig. 18, for the ap lication of the stitfener.

t will be seen that by this invention a means is provided, for rigidly stiffening' or staying series of blades. By so stliemng the blade, excessive bending is prevented, accurate spacing assured, and vibration reduced to a minimum.

In accordance with the rovisions of the patent statutes, the rinci e of o eration of the invention has een escribe together vwith the means which is now considered to represent the best embodiment thereof; but

vit 1s desired to be understood that the means shown is merely illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What is claimed and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is,-

1. A series of end supported, ressure subjected blades and a plurality o means for staying the blades at their middle portions, thc axes of the means being severally free fromv Lintersectionwith adjacent blades.

2. Aserles of end supported, pressure subjected blades and discontinuous means for staying the blades at their middle portions.

3. A series of blades, and means extending through the blades and riveted thereto in providing los and. extending obliquely to the series for connecting the blades in groups.

4. A series of blades and discontinuous means extending through the blades and riveted thereto and out of the plane of the series for staying the blades at their middle portions.

'-5. A base, blades attached to the base, means spaced from the base for connecting the blades in pairs, and means spaced from the base at aA different distance than that of the first means, for connecting the pairs of blades, both said connecting means extending through the bladesfand 'being riveted thereto. e

6. A plurality of spaced blades, and means for connecting the blades in pairs, said means extending through said blades and being riveted thereto and the ends thereof' being liush with the louter surfaces of said pairs of blades. -l`\ 7. ln combination, a'turbine rotor, a'ringof buckets carrledthereby, and stay-bolts or x strengthening and Supporting sald buckets,

each of which `passes through a plurality of adjoining buckets forming part ofthe ring intermediate the ends of said'buckets.

8.. ln combination, a turbinev rotor, 4a ring ot' buckets carried a thereby, the, buckets ot' said ring being arranged in groups, each groupcomprising aA plurality of individual buckets, and means intermediatevthe ends of the lbuckets forming the group for scour: ing them together inspaced relation, n

9. ln combination, a turbine rotor, a ring of buckets mounted thereon', the buckets of said ring beingarranged in groups, each' group comprising a plurality of individual buckets, and a. stay-bolt located intermediate the ends of the buckets for securing them together in spaced relation.

10. In combination, a turbine rotor, a ring of buckets carried thereby, the buckets. in-

said ring being arranged in groups, each group comprising a plurality of individual buckets provided with a cover attached to their outer ends, means for fastening the inner ends of the buckets to the rotor, a staybolty passing through the buckets intermediate their ends, and mezitis carried by said staybolt that engages t e buckets and' spaces them apart.I t

12. In combinatiomia turbine rotor, a ring 'of buckets carried thereby, the buckets in said ring being' arranged in groups of two.f

and means for strengthening and supporting the buckets of each group 'comprising a stay-- bolthaving a shouldered Aportion engaglng the` adjacent facesv of the two buckets Aand end .portions whichv pass through said buckets and are secured thereto.

13. ln combination, a turbine membena ln testimony whereofl aiix my signature Ain presence of two Witnesses.

- t ROBERTA. MCKEE.4

' G, FD'nW'mN, MAX Romina.

row of buckets mounted thereon, and a plu'-` l yrality of means for uniting the but: ets', the 

